Nguyen writes, “Savory-sweet and garlicky Chinese barbecued pork, called char siu in Cantonese and xá xíu in Vietnamese, is hard to resist. Since the classic porky version requires a good hour (better yet, overnight) to marinate, my weeknight approach is to make it with chicken thighs and grill it for a wonderful old-school flavor…Enjoy char siu chicken for dinner with rice and a quick stir-fried vegetable or a salad. Use leftovers (or make a double batch) for banh mi, a noodle soup, or fried rice.”

My only tweak to the recipe was to increase the quantities and double the sauce because it’s that good.

What You’ll Need To Make Char Siu Chicken

The nice thing about this recipe is that very little prep is required; most of the ingredients come out of bottles and jars. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is trimming the chicken thighs (I find it easiest to use sharp kitchen shears). If you don’t want to use dark meat, go ahead and use chicken tenderloins. Just keep in mind that they’ll cook in half the time and you’ll need slightly less since they don’t need to be trimmed.

How To Make Char Siu Chicken

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five-spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil.Remove about half the marinade and set aside for glazing the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).

Lightly oil a cast-iron stove-top grill pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning several times. To test for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife; the chicken is cooked when clear juices flow out. During the last 2 minutes, when the chicken feels firmish, baste with the reserved marinade to freshen flavor and add sheen.

Alternatively, prepare a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium and cook the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, basting during the last 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Instructions

Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then trim and discard any big fat pads. If the thighs are large or super-uneven in thickness, butterfly each one. Lay the thigh, smooth-side down, on your cutting board. Wielding your knife horizontally, slash the big mound of flesh to create a flap of meat, stopping just shy of cutting all the way through. Fold back the meat flap that you just created. The thigh should now be about 50 percent longer and relatively even in thickness. If the result seems awkwardly large, cut it crosswise into two smaller, square-ish pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five-spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil. Remove about half the marinade and set aside for glazing the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).

Lightly oil a cast-iron stove-top grill pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning several times. To test for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife; the chicken is cooked when clear juices flow out. During the last 2 minutes, when the chicken feels firmish, baste with the reserved marinade to freshen flavor and add sheen. (Alternatively, prepare a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium and cook the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, basting during the last 3 minutes.) Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Note: If you'd prefer to use white meat, use 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins. (The reason you'll need slightly less is because they don't need to be trimmed.) Keep in mind that they'll cook in about half the time.

Nutrition Information

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Reviews & Comments

Another winner! I was a bit nervous about making this as I thought it might be a little on the sweet side but the balance of savory and sweet was just perfect!! Thighs are the way to go too! Thanks Jen!

I used chicken tenderloins. Since they’re small pieces, I marinated them for just four hours, and they cooked in about 8 minutes, making this an easy recipe for someone working out of home during this shelter-in-place situation we’re going through. Everyone I’ve told about it has asked for the recipe. I’d like to try the marinade on boneless pork too…bet it would be delicious!

This marinade recipe was bursting with beautiful Asian flavor and it was delicious! I served both the jasmine rice and ketchup fried rice(would love to view your version of this!) alongside it with salad. I used a non-stick All-Clad double burner ridged grill pan…The question I have is if that is ok to use or should I switch to the Cast Iron grill pan for better results?—the glaze/sauce turned black and formed black crusts in the pan that stuck to the chicken which I had to remove where possible. How can I avoid this?

So if grilling outdoor is not an option, the Cast Iron grill pan vs. not should not differentiate between this glaze turning black in pan and crusting? I thought maybe the Cast Iron conducts heat faster and cooks more thoroughly and maybe won’t have a chance to burn the sugars in the glaze/marinade.

I made this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the oven, and it was delicious! I kept about a third of the marinade aside to glaze the chicken for the last 30 minutes of cooking. A definite repeat!

I just made this tonight for my family. It was easy and delicious. My 22-year old son who is visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday loved it and asked for the recipe. I forgot to add the honey and it was still wonderful. Have made many recipes from your blog and your cookbook and all have been great!

I plan on marinating your Char Siu Chicken tonight. I was trying to find the amber colored honey you mentioned. After some internet searching (https://ajarofhoneysanjose.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/honey-color-guide.jpg), amber colored honey is pretty dark. So, I went to the store and found Lowell Honey-Dew honey from Poland. It is quite dark, but isn’t made from blossoms at all. It is described as “Color: Dark to very dark, honey colored, sometimes with green fluorescence. Taste: Intensity: medium, woody and warm. Medium sweetness with weak acidity. No bitterness with a medium aroma. Medium persistence/aftertaste and sometimes astringent. Aroma: Woody and warm.” I have to agree that it looks very dark, closer to the dark amber on the link above. Do you think this would work or should I find something lighter in color made from blossoms?

Hi Rhonda, Without having tried it, it’s hard for me to say how that honey would work. For the most predictable results, I’d probably stick with standard honey. Sorry about the extra effort you went to to find that! Hope you enjoy the chicken. 🙂

This is an amazing recipe for chicken! Question: I’ve got guests coming that are vegetarian/pescaterians, so I was thinking about trying this marinade with wild shrimp 16/20 count and grilling them on the BBQ. Do you think that would work? If not shrimp, do you think it would work with fish and if so what kind?

PS: Love your website! Bought your book and really like the “tips”, but the constant stream of new recipes keeps me and my family happy.

Hi Michael, I don’t have a lot of wisdom to share because I don’t have experience with a slow cooker, so it’s hard to say for sure but I think this would be a great marinade for pork. You may want to consider pork shoulder though as I think you’ll get a more tender finished product. (I’m not a huge fan of pork tenderloin.) Here are some tips on converting recipes to slow cook versions that you may find helpful. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!

Not my favorite. I like the other similar but spicy one you have here with the balsamic and honey at the end. I think it might be that 5 spice powder that doesn’t agree with me. It has a very definite taste.

This meal was easy and tasted amazing! I was pleasantly surprised that even my kids loved it and they typically don’t like Chinese food. Thank you for all the quality recipes! You make my life so much easier! I hope you write second cookbook🤞

My kids loved it!!!!!!thank you Jenn! Because of your link to this recipe, I went and ordered this book. Great book with lots of notes and clear directions. I love reading cook books and this one will be in use a lot once my family calls for asian dinner.

Yes, Gail, bone-in thighs should work here. Cooking time will be longer; possibly up to double that of the current cooking time. You may want to lower the heat a bit though so that the skin doesn’t burn before the meat is cooked through. Please LMK how they turn out!

Hi Kathy, 5 spice powder is a seasoning mix that generally includes cloves, fennel, cinnamon, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. It can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores. If you’re unable to find it, you can make your own — here’s a recipe. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the chicken if you make it!

Hi, How about using chicken thighs with bone in and skin on? The cooking time will be how much longer? And, can I omit the ketchup and substitute for something else? Want to avoid the onion it usually contains.

Hi Emilie, I’m guessing you’ll need to add about 10 minutes to the cook time, and turn the heat down a bit so the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is cooked. Tomato paste would be a great substitute for the ketchup. Hope that helps.